রবিবার, ৩০ জুন, ২০১৩

Obama announces African electricity initiative, reflects on Mandela

President Barack Obama addresses a crowd at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Sunday. Obama makes the point that 60 percent of Africans are under 30-years-old while discussing the region's future.

By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News

President Barack Obama on Sunday announced a sweeping?initiative?to help bring electrical power to some of Africa's poorest regions, while reflecting on the legacy of Nelson Mandela and urging the continent to continue the work of?South Africa's ailing former leader.

Speaking at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the president announced a?$7 billion initiative?to bring electrical power to sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to help modernize the continent and better connect it with the rest of the world.


The program, called "Power Africa," will also include more than $9 billion in investment from private companies, according to the White House.??The iniative will focus on six African countries:?Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.?

"We believe that nations must have the power to connect their people to the promise of the 21st century. Access to electricity is fundamental to opportunity in this age," Obama said.

"It's the connection that's needed to plug Africa into the grid of the global economy.? You've got to have power," he added, citing that two-thirds of the population in sub-Saharan Africa does not have regular access to household electricity.?

Obama's hopes to modernize the continent came the same day as he urged Africa's youth to remember the?sacrifices?of beloved leader Mandela, who is in "critical but stable" condition in a South African hospital, according to government officials.

Earlier Sunday, the president and his family visited Robben Island prison, the place where Mandela spent most of his 27 years in jail. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid champion has been in the hospital for weeks, and his health has become one of the main?story lines?of the president's week-long trip.

In his speech in Cape Town, Obama said that standing in Mandela's small cell helped his daughters appreciate the?sacrifices made by?the the leader and is an experience they will never forget.

"Nelson Mandela showed us that one man's courage can move the world," he said.

White House officials said the speech drew inspiration from remarks delivered by Robert F. Kennedy in June of 1966 at the same university. Kennedy's now famous "ripple of hope" speech was delivered soon after Mandela was?sentenced?to prison also called on African youth to fight against injustice.

"There is no question that Africa is on the move, but it's not moving fast enough...That's where you come in -- the young people of Africa.? Just like previous generations, you've got choices to make. You get to decide where the future lies," Obama said.

While in Cape Town, the president also visited an HIV/AIDS clinic where he commended the work of President George W. Bush in helping fight AIDS in Africa.?

"We have the possibility of achieving an AIDS-free generation...and making sure that everybody in our human family is able to enjoy their lives and raise families, and succeed in maintaining their health here in Africa and around the world," Obama said.

NBC's Shawna Thomas contributed to this report.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663306/s/2e028d3f/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C30A0C192210A560Eobama0Eannounces0Eafrican0Eelectricity0Einitiative0Ereflects0Eon0Emandela0Dlite/story01.htm

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ জুন, ২০১৩

What is the best cruise ship for first-time cruisers? | CruiseSource

I have plenty of friends who have yet to go on a cruise vacation.? Not surprising due to the fact that about 70% of the US still has not been on a cruise vacation.

They each have their own reasons for not trying it out yet from thinking there is not enough to do on a cruise ship to concerns about motion sickness. ?Plus many of my friends seem to have stuck with their childhood family vacation traditions like renting a beach house for a week in the summer.

But, after hearing from their friends how their recent cruise experience or seeing their friends cruise photos on Facebook my cruise rookie friends start asking me questions about what would be a good cruise for them to test-out to see if cruising is for them.

When they say ?test-out?, they are saying ?what is a short 3 to 4 day cruise that we can go on to see what this whole cruising thing is all about.?

The issue is that most 3 to 5 night cruises are on slightly older ships that are not a true representation of what cruising is all about in 2013.? ?The cruise lines have pushed the envelope over the last 5 years with innovative new ships that are engineering masterpieces.

The cruise lines deploy their newest most innovative ships on 7+ night cruise vacation, with the exception of Royal Caribbean?s Liberty of the Seas.??Making the Liberty of the Seas my top recommendation for 1st time cruisers. ?[Help spread the word to your first-time cruisers]

The Liberty of the Seas was launched in 2007. Although 6 years old, there are only a few cruise ships larger than the Liberty of the Seas.? ?The Liberty of the Seas offers:

  • Rock-climbing wall
  • Ice-skating rink
  • Mini-golf course
  • Full-sized basketball court
  • Full-sized boxing ring
  • 4 pools
  • 10 Whirlpools, with 2 of them overlooking the ocean
  • State of the Art Fitness facility offering Yoga and Tai Chi classes.

The Liberty of the Seas is the largest, most innovative cruise ship offering 4 ? 5 night cruises.? ?From November 2013 ? April 2014, the Liberty of the Seas will be sailing from Ft Lauderdale on 4 and 5 night Caribbean Voyages starting at low as $249 + taxes per person*!? ??Click to search for rates and availability.?

90% of the time, I try to get my first time cruising friends on the Liberty of the Seas. ?For some families with a bigger budget, I find the 3 ? 4 nt. Disney Dream Cruise to be great place to start.

*$249 per person rate is on the 4 night December 12th, 2013 departure of the Liberty of the Seas.?

Click Liberty of the Seas photos below to enlarge:

Captain Surfing Flowrider

Captain Surfing Flowrider

Pool Deck

Pool Deck

Full Court Basketball

Full Court Basketball

Ice Skating with the Kids

Ice Skating with the Kids

Liberty of the Seas exterior photo

Photo of balconies by ade_rob

Liberty of the Seas vwaagan1 on Instagram

Credit: roger4336 on Flickr

Credit: roger4336 on Flickr

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Source: http://cruisesource.us/2013/06/best-ship-for-first-time-cruisers/

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